is a Shinto shrine in the city of
Narais the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, in
Nara Prefectureis a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
,
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Established in
768Year 768 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 768 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Pepin the Short , king of the Franks since...
AD and rebuilt several times over the centuries, it is the shrine of the
Fujiwara familyThe Fujiwara clan , descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of regents in Japan.The clan originated when the founder, Nakatomi no Kamatari , was rewarded by Emperor Tenji with the honorific "Fujiwara", which evolved as a surname for Kamatari and his descendants...
. The interior is famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many
stone lanternA "灯篭" is just a simplified form of "灯籠". is a Japanese lantern made of stone, wood, or metal traditional in the Far East. In China extant specimen are very rare, and in Korea too they are not as common as in Japan. In Japan, tōrō were originally used only in Buddhist temples, where they lined and...
s that lead up the shrine.
The architectural style
Kasuga-zukuriis a traditional Shinto shrine architectural style which takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's honden. It is characterized by the use of a building just 1x1 ken in size with the entrance on the gabled end covered by a veranda. In Kasuga Taisha's case, the honden is just 1.9 m x 2.6 m.Supporting...
takes its name from Kasuga Shrine's
hondenThe , is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue. The building is normally in the rear of the shrine and closed to the general public. In front of its usually stands the haiden, or...
(sanctuary).
Kasuga Shrine, and the
Kasugayama Primeval Forest near it, are registered as a
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
as part of the "
Historic Monuments of Ancient NaraThe UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara encompasses eight places in the old capital Nara in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Five are Buddhist temples, one is a Shinto shrine, one is a Palace and one a primeval forest. The properties include 26 buildings designated by the Japanese...
".
The path to Kasuga Shrine passes through Deer Park (where tame deer roam free). Over a thousand stone lanterns line the way. The
Man'yo Botanical Garden, NaraThe , also known as the Kasuga Taisha Garden, is a botanical garden located next to the Kasuga Shrine at 160 Kasugano-cho, Nara, Nara, Japan.The garden opened in 1932, and is a Manyo Botanical Garden containing all plants mentioned in the Man'yōshū, each labeled with its name and poems that...
is adjacent to the shrine.
History
The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early
Heian periodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
. In 965,
Emperor Murakamiwas the 62nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Murakami's reign spanned the years from 946 to his death in 967.-Traditional narrative:...
ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian
kami of Japan. These
heihaku were initially presented to 16 shrines including the Kasuga Shrine.
From 1871 through 1946, Kasuga Shrine was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.
Festivals
During the festivals of
Setsubun Mantoro (February 2–4) and
Obon Mantoro (August 14–15), the thousands shrine lanterns of Kasuga-taisha are all lit at once.
March 13 is the
Kasuga Matsuri ("Monkey Festival"), which features
gagakuGagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
and
bugakuBugaku dance is the traditional Japanese dance that has been performed to select elites mostly in Japanese imperial courts for over twelve hundred years. In this way it has been an upper class secret, although after World War II the dance was opened to the public and has even toured around the...
dance performances.
See also
External links